Deuteronomy 25:11-12- Cutting off the Hand or the Thigh/Womb?

                                 Deuteronomy 25:11-12- Cutting off the Hand or the Thigh/Womb? 

This is one of the controversial passages that skeptics use to invalidate Judeo-Christianity. In this analysis, I will show that this passage his been translated erroneously in order for us to dig deeper into scripture. In the Old Covenant, if a woman crushed the genitals of the perpetrator, and it resulted in the perpetrator not able to have children, it was basically the end of his life. That man would be declared an eunuch and would be unable to worship in the Tabernacle/Temple. He would be cut off socially. It was believed that the woman would get her hand cut off. Fortunately, there is no historical evidence of this ever happening. One of things that has made me suspicious of this passage was that it did not fit the lex talionis (law of retaliation). The amputation of the hand seemed severe in comparison to being an eunuch. Here is the passage and my proofs below.

Deuteronomy 25:11-12 English Standard Version 11 “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12 then you shall cut off her hand (kap̄-כַּף-Hollow of her thigh-groin area). Your eye shall have no pity.

NOTE 1: The typical Hebrew word for Hand is yad. However, it is not used here. Kap is used for this passage instead. Kap can be found in Genesis 32:25 and 32:32.

Genesis 32:25 King James Version 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

Genesis 32:32 King James Version 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

NOTE 2: As we can see with Jacob, the Hebrew word can be translated as thigh area. Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that the word was mistranslated as hand. When in reality, it is thigh area.

Numbers 5:21-22 King James Version 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; 22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

Numbers 5:27 King James Version 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

2 Samuel 6:23 King James Version 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

NOTE 3: Although the Hebrew word is not the same, we have a similar concept about bellies shrinking/swelling and thighs rotting in Numbers Chapter 5. It is safe to come to the conclusion that Deuteronomy 25 is not talking about a woman’s hand, but her future offspring. Since she  would take away the perpetrator’s ability to procreate, God would take away her ability to procreate. This makes sense when considering the lex talionis (the law of retaliation).

NOTE 4: Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (the passage before the one in questioned) talks about the Levirate Marriage. There is a figurative act of pulling the sandal off of the father- in-law and spitting in his face because he has refused to provide a surviving son to his daughter-in-law. This act represented that the Father-in-Law should be looked at with public disgrace for denying her rights for future children. "The cutting of the hand" may be a symbolic act of putting a scarlet ribbon around her hand as a form of public disgrace similar to Zerah in Genesis 38.The scarlet thread represented the end of a family line. This is what happened with Achan (Joshua 7) who was the last generation belonging to Zerah. Achan was executed for stealing spoil from a battle, his stealing resulted in the death of many Jews.

Genesis 38:27-30 English Standard Version 27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez.30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

Joshua 7:24 English Standard Version 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.